What if I told you that I knew how you could get free, yes FREE music on the Internet and it still is 100% legal? No, this isn’t some kind of ridiculous scam, it’s the truth and boy am I going to open some doors for you! The Internet has become a great place to network and for musicians, a great place to showcase and share their music. These sites are great tools to support musicians of all kinds and still enjoy discovering new music to download along the way.
Noisetrade– Noisetrade is a great tool for listeners and musicians to connect and to discover new artists. As they say on their website, “Fans get free music. Artists connect with new fans. Everybody wins.” There are thousands, and when I say thousands that is not an exaggeration, of free albums/EPs/singles from artists upcoming to well-known that offer listeners a chance for free downloads. It’s simple too! All you do is have a listen, enter your email address, have an option to “tip” the musician, and then the link for the download goes straight to your inbox. From experience, I can’t tell you how many new artists I’ve discovered using Noisetrade. If you sign up for their email list and follow them via Twitteror Facebook, they will keep you updated on the newest music.
Bandcamp– Bandcamp is a win all for artists who want a reliable, free way to stream/share their music and for the listeners/fans who want to support them. Not all the music on Bandcamp is free, that is entirely up to the artist, however, it is one of the easiest ways to stream and share music. The prices on Bandcamp are always extremely reasonably priced. The artist has an option to have their music free, charge at a set price, or let their fans “name their own price”. Music just got 10x more awesome. The site also has a clean, nice look. No annoying pop-ups or advertisements, just music.
Last.fm– I just recently discovered Last.fm (took me long enough), but if you’re all about staying up-to-date with artists you love, free downloads, discovering new artists (thanks to their recommendation section), and having your music organized, go get an account with Last.fm. Just by typing in your favorite artists, they do all the work for you! On your profile page Last.fm gives you recommendations for new albums that have been released, artists you should check out, events/tours, and free downloads all based on what your favorite artists are. You can even connect with others on Last.fm and see what everyone is listening to and digging.
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Email lists– I know you already get hundreds of emails a day (thank you ASUINFO), but emails have their perks. By signing up for the email lists of your favorite artists, you have opportunities to unreleased songs, free downloads, tour dates, and general news! Musicians love to reward those that support them even if it’s just signing up for emails. Supporting them doesn’t always mean financially.
If you just want to listen to music freely, there are tons of sites that are out there. Some of my favorite and most used ones include Grooveshark, Spotify, and Pandora– each of them with pros and cons. Grooveshark is a tool I like to use when I want to make playlists to share on my blog and Spotify (which is all over Facebook) is still a fun (and sometimes annoying) way to see what everyone is listening to. The feature I like is being able to send tracks to friends and include a message. Pandora is already a pretty popular site and if you don’t have an account, what’s up with that? (Kidding) Besides the annoying advertisements and the moments like “How did I get Nicki Minaj on my Avett Brothers station?” Pandora, for the most part, is a fun way to not have to worry about making your own playlists.
There are ENDLESS resources for music on the web! Be sure to support your favorite artists, financially or not! You can spread their music, see them in live shows, or just let them know that you support and love their music. Don’t be tempted to use those torrent sites for music. Music is meant to be treated with respect, and here’s your guide to respecting music without hurting your poor old college wallet. Enjoy!
Photo sources –
1.http://twtrland.com/profile/NoiseTrade
2. http://bandcamp.com/